New York Public Library Transforms Underground Train into a ‘Subway Library’

Attention, New Yorkers! Thanks to an inspiring initiative by the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), your morning commute just got a little bit better. “Subway Library,” a free digital platform, invites and encourages passengers to “browse and download books, short stories, chapters and excerpts that can be read quickly and easily during your commute.”

For a 6-week stint, passengers can access all of Subway Library’s titles through Transit Wireless, a WiFi network available to travelers in trains and stations. Once connected, commuters are presented with a plethora of digital books, short stories, and excerpts that have been donated to the New York Public Library by publishers. With hundreds of pieces to choose from, book-loving commuters are guaranteed a pleasant, page-turning journey no matter the distance (or delays!).

To celebrate the launch of Subway Library, the MTA has given one lucky train a festive makeover. On its exterior, colorful letters spell out “Subway Library.” Inside, seats are camouflaged as shelves, “bricks” line the walls, and a reproduction of the historic ceiling found in the New York Public Library’s recently-reopened Rose Main Reading Room has been installed overhead. For a limited time, you can find this spirited train as it alternates between the E and F lines in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.

To celebrate Subway Library, an initiative that offers free online books to commuters, the New York Public Library and the MTA have given one lucky train a book-themed makeover.